what a great article. the biggest thing I've never understood about this is how often and easliy people DEHUMANIZE other people.

and it's so tolerated, and in fact encouraged. it's disgusting. Especially in EL and Ohio.

I'm not even that upset about people who boo the home team (in a general manner)- like at half of the 2008 Wisc. game in RRs 1st year. that whole half was a disgrace to football and if a team deserved to get booed, that was it.

Now, yelling about having s'ships revoked from specific players goes too far, but a good boo at the end of a half is fine.

I thought that Brian was the only one who could post to mgo.licio.us. Is Anonymous Coward a mod?  Is it Brian?  I R Confuzed. 

In any event, it was an interesting article.  I vehemently disagree with Jacobi, however, that Artest's laying on the scorer's table during the Malice at the Palace wasn't aggressive and Noah's sarcastic applause was brilliant and tempered.  Passive Aggressive's last name is "Aggressive" and both moves were passive-aggressive in the extreme.  

They were both dickhead moves designed to get under people's skin.  (Try either of those stunts during a soccer game and see how long it takes to get carded.)  Both are taunts, and both invite poor behavior from the opposition and their fans. 

(I get that this doesn't excuse idiot fans taking the proverbial bait.)